German Health Minister Carsten Linnemann has moved to scrap planned cuts to pension entitlements for relatives who provide care at home, reversing a proposal drafted by his predecessor Nina Warken that would have reduced future pension contributions for caregivers to 70 percent of current levels. The original draft projected savings of 1.8 billion euros for 2027. Linnemann called those who care for loved ones at home "the everyday heroes of Germany." Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in July that no final decision had been made on the measure.
The reversal drew swift praise from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, the Social Association of Germany, and the German Patient Protection Foundation. GKV board chairman Oliver Blatt had earlier called the proposed cuts the wrong approach, noting annual expenditures exceed five billion euros. Foundation head Eugen Brysch demanded the federal government bear the full 4.2 billion euros in annual costs for caregiving relatives.
Germany has roughly six million people in need of care, with more than three million looked after at home by family members.